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Friday, September 9, 2016

World Igbo Congress saved by American court

~The SUN Nigeria. Thursday, September 8, 2016.

Once again, the United States Federal Court has intervened to save World Igbo Congress from the claws of those individuals who have allowed their selfish interests to trump the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo in the Diaspora. Prior to recently concluded World Igbo Congress convention in New York that witnessed the attendance of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President, Gov Obiano, the executive governor of Anambra State, and Gov Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, Judge Nancy F. Atlas, Senior United States District Judge of the United Sates district Court for the southern district of texas houston division entered a judgment on August 26, 2016 in favor of the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs, World Igbo Congress INC. and JOE N. ETO, In His Capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors sued CHIEF CYRIL NWAGURU and DR. LARRY UDORJI for the illegal use of a trademark name, "World Igbo Congress." After all the testimonies, the court found, "In accordance with the Court's Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law issued this day, it is hereby ORDERED that judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiff World Igbo Congress Inc. ("WIC Inc.") on its federal trademark infringement claim, but no monetary damages or attorneys' fees are awarded."

In its "Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law," the court said, "Witnesses at trial testified without contradiction that the Board of Directors is WIC Inc.'s governing body. See, e.g., Testimony of Cyprian Osuoha, Jeff Ohanaja, Uzoma Ofodu, Ichie Chibuzo Onwuchekwa, Cyril Nwaguru. Therefore, the Court finds that the owner of the "World Igbo Congress" trademark is the WIC Inc. Board of Directors. There is no evidence that the WIC Inc. Board of Directors has authorized either Defendant to use WIC Inc.'s trademark."

The first time World Igbo Congress (WIC) was in danger of being destroyed was in 2012 when the Court-Appointed Special Master, Atty. Gerald M. Birnberg conducted an election that ushered in the leadership of Joe Nze Eto. Before that election, WIC reached the flagging condition that was marred with controversies and selfish litigations.

It started with an acrimonious election in 2005 in Los Angeles. There, Ichie Chibuzor Onwuchekwe emerged as the organization's chairman. The people gave Onwuchekwe an unfettered opportunity to lead WIC. Lurking behind the tenuous support was an aspiration of some Board members to take another crack at the leadership of WIC in 2008.

Realizing the strong quest to unseat him, Onwuchekwe began plotting for his perpetual reign. WIC, under Onwuchekwe, began to float various versions of its constitution; manipulations and misinterpretations of WIC's bylaw became prevalent. Collective interests of WIC became secondary while Onwuchekwe, in his conceited manner, continued his foolhardy and demented overreach. Interestingly, he lost his affiliate membership in Houston, becoming a chairman without a home organization in violation of the WIC's constitution and bylaw.

The next election was in 2008 in Tampa, Florida and Ichie Chibuzor Onwuchekwe was a candidate to the objection of Ndi-Igbo in the Diaspora. The issue was without an affiliate; Onwuchekwe didn't qualify to run. However, he used the incumbency power and nefarious activities to scheme himself in as a candidate. Thus, the Tampa tiff produced two parallel WIC factions.In 2009 Onwuchekwe's group took the other faction to court for the ownership right of World Igbo Congress incorporation and logo. According to Eto, "Upon losing the opportunity to continue as second term WIC chairman at the 2008 convention and elections, Chibuzor Onwuchekwe and some of his officers brought a lawsuit in a Federal district court in Texas against WIC Board of Directors, the WIC House of Delegates and the newly elected officers for infringement of the WIC name and logo.



The presiding federal court judge, Judge Kenneth Hoyt, on July 31, 2009 ruled that Onwuchekwe and co have no standing to bring the lawsuit. Onwuchekwe appealed this ruling twice at the same court, failing to convince the court to vacate the ruling. In September of 2009, they took their appeal to a federal appeals court in New Orleans. In December of 2010, a three judge panel affirmed the decision of the trial court and awarded court costs against Onwuchekwe, which he has failed to pay." Eto continued, "Following their loss in Tampa, Florida at the convention in 2008, Onwuchekwe incorporated a parallel WIC in Washington, D.C, and used the certificate of this incorporation to file for ownership of the WIC Name and Logo, at the US Trademark and Patent Court."

Since 2008, both factions held parallel conventions. In its 2011 convention, Onwuchekwe's group had an election in Toronto where he supported the candidacy of Chief Larry Udorji. "Chief Larry Udorji was definitely Onwuchekwe's candidate," echoed Atty. Charlie Chikezie. Chikezie expressed disappointment in how Ichie Onwuchekwe bungled the leadership of WIC after 2008. Well, after Tampa debacle, Atty. Charlie Chikezie introduced Umu Ada Igbo to WIC, which Kate Ezeofor founded in Nigeria. Ezeofor wanted WIC to help her suggest a leader in the US-an unsavory bait. Unfortunately, Onwuchekwe got tangled with Umu Ada Igbo; thus, a division ensued. Onwuchekwe sided with Madam Grace Adaozor. "By meddling in the leadership of Umu Ada Igbo, Onwuchekwe got involved and got distracted," Chikezie agonized. This eventually led Onwuchekwe through a path littered with self-destructive pikes that devoured him.

Nonetheless, relief was on the way-"a fair and open election" that led to a possible "rebirth and reunification" of WIC. Based on the agreement reached by the three factions, Judge Kirkland ordered the same on January 20, 2012. Upon the court order, Atty. Gerald M. Birnberg, the Court-Appointed Special Master, expressed confidence that he would conduct a credible election. Considering the fact that election manipulations had plagued WIC, one wondered if the jinx would that time be broken.

In our email communication, Birnberg exuded glimmer of hope for Ndi-Igbo. He said that time, "My goal is to conduct a fair and transparent election for officers of the World Igbo Congress, Inc. in full compliance with the Court Order, all to the ultimate end of, hopefully, creating the opportunity for the World Igbo Congress to achieve re-unification and return to focusing in a unified manner on its mission of contributing to the advancement of the Igbo people, rather than diluting its ability to achieve such positive results because of the internal strife which has precluded such work for the past four years." During that period, Gerald M. Birnberg said, "And very importantly, I am counting on the good faith and fundamental honesty and integrity of the Igbo people and their desire to get the problems of the past behind them in order to move forward with this organization for the sake of Igbo people generally," he continued. Gerald M. Birnberg conducted a credible election where the current chairman, Joe Eto emerged.

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THE IGBO RANT

I am an Igbo, I was born an Igbo, I live the life of an Igbo, I come from Igbo, I speak Igbo, I like to be Igbo, I like to dress in Igbo, I eat Igbo food, my heritage, culture and tradition is Igbo, my parents are Igbo.

Am sorry I cannot help it if you hate my lineage. Am sorry I cannot help it if you detest Igbo, am sorry I cannot help it if you hate me because am Igbo. Igbo is who I am, my name is Igbo and I must die an Igbo.

You see Igbo as a threat, why? You call Igbo rapist, criminals, ritualist, prostitutes, kidnappers. You attribute all negative vices to represent Igbo? Why do you do that? You do because you feel threatened that Igbo might outrun the rest of the tribes. Why do you hate Igbo and despise us? You do that because we are creative, enlightened, hardworking, industrious, genius, intelligent, smart, rich, beautiful and amazing. But its difficult for you to admit it because you feel jealous of my race.

Igbo do not own politics, Igbo do not control the economy neither do we control the natural resources and the common wealth of the nation. You do, we don't and yet, despite the fact that you own everything, we still remain one indispensable race that has outshined the other race in all ramifications.

You fear us because you want to exterminate and annihilate our race, you deny us many things and yet we are stronger, richer and mightier. You fear us because we are everywhere. You fear us because no matter how rural a place might be, when Igbo steps in, they turn it into a Paradise. We have our own resources, which lies in resourcefulness, we do not bother you and your control over the polity, but yet when we cough you and the other race begin to shiver.

Am proud being an Igbo, am proud of my heritage and culture. Igbo means high class, Igbo means independence, Igbo means hard work and strength, Igbo means riches, Igbo means resourcefulness, Igbo means self belonging, Igbo means self esteem, Igbo means pride, Igbo means swag.

Udo diri unu umunnem.
# IgboAmaka
# AnyiBuNdiMmeri

Michael Ezeaka
------------------------------

This is beautiful poetry ...

In response to Alaba Ajibola, the Babcock Lecturer Hate Speech against Igbos.

BIBLICAL TRADITIONS OF NDI IGBO BEFORE THE MISSIONARIES CAME TO AFRICA* IGBO 101.

1. NSÓ NWANYĮ
In Igboland women live apart from their husbands and neither cook for them nor enter their husband's quarters when they are in their period. They are seen as unclean. Even up till today such practice is still applicable in some parts of Igboland especially by the traditionalists. Before a woman can enter the palace of Obi of Onitsha, she will be asked if she is in her period, if yes, she will be asked to stay out.

Leviticus 15: 19-20
When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean, anyone who touches her or anything she has sat on becomes unclean.

2. ANA OBI
An Igbo man's ancestral heritage, called “Ana Obi” is not sellable, elders will not permit this. If this is somehow done due to the influence of the West the person is considered a fool and is ostracized by the community.

1 Kings 21:3
I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors, and the Lord forbid that I should sell it, said Naboth.

3. IKUCHI NWANYĮ
Igbos have practiced the taking of a late brother's wife into marriage after she had been widowed until the white men came. Now it is rarely done but except in very rural villages.

Deuteronomy 25:5
A widow of a dead man is not to be married outside the family; it is the duty of the dead man's brother to marry her.

4. ĮGBA ODIBO
In Igboland, there is a unique form of apprenticeship in which either a male family member or a community member will spend six (6) years (usually in their teens to their adulthood) working for another family. And on the seventh year, the head of the host household, who is usually the older man who brought the apprentice into his household, will establish (Igbo: idu uno) the apprentice
by either setting up a business for him or giving money or tools by which to make a living.

Exodus 21:2
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years. In the seventh year he is to be set free without having to pay you anything.

5. IRI JI OFŲŲ
In Igboland , the yam is very important as it is their staple crop. There are celebrations such as the New yam festival (Igbo: Iri Ji) which are held for the harvesting of the yam. New Yam festival (Igbo: Iri ji) is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop. In the olden days it is an abomination for one to eat a new harvest before the festival. It's a tradition that you give the gods of the land first as a thanksgiving.

Deuteronomy 16:9
Count 7 weeks from the time that you begin to harvest the crops, and celebrate the harvest festival to honor the lord your God, by bringing him a freewill offering in proportion to the blessing he has given you. Celebrate in the Lord's presence together with your children, servants, foreigners. Be sure that you obey my command, said the Lord.

6. IBE UGWU
In Igboland it's a tradition that the male children are circumcised on the 8th day. This tradition is still practiced till date.

Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.

7. ÓMŲGWÓ
In Igboland, there is a practice known as "ile omugwo ". After a woman has given birth to a child, a very close and experienced relative of hers, in most cases her mother is required by tradition to come spend time with her and her husband. During which she is to do all the work of the wife, while the new mom's only assignment to the baby will be to breastfeed. This goes on for a month or more. In the Igbo old tradition, at this time, the new mom lives apart from her husband, would not cook or enter his quarters.

Leviticus 12:1-4
For seven days after a woman gives birth, she is ritually unclean as she is during her monthly period. It will be 33 days until she is ritually clean from the loss of blood; she is not to touch anything that is holy.

THE IGBO TRIBE AND ITS FEAR OF EXTINCTION

The Igbo tribe is in a serious problem and danger of extinction for the following reasons:

50% of Igbos are born outside Igbo land. Meaning that those children are not likely to live and work in Igbo land and cannot speak Igbo language but foreign language (Yoruba, Hausa, French, English).

40% of Igbos girls between the age of 25 & 45 are single with no hope of marriage because 35% of Igbo boys live overseas and they have all married white ladies.

75% of Igbo youths leave Igbo land every year in search of opportunities in Yoruba, Hausa land or overseas.

85 % of Igbos have family houses and own investments outside Igbo land. They strongly believe in one Nigeria but failed to know that NO Yoruba or Hausa man has a family house or investment in Igbo land.

Igbos are the only people who believe that living outside their land is an achievement.

Igbos are the only tribe that celebrate their tradition outside their land e.g. Eze Ndi Igbo, Igbo Village in America and this is because they have family homes in foreign lands.

Igbos have failed to know that the children you have outside Igbo land especially overseas will never think of living in Igbo land. So what happens to the properties you are building for them when you are gone?

Igbos are the only tribe who see their land as a place to visit or a tourist site than a place to work and live.

Igbos are the only tribe who instead of promoting and appreciating their culture through movies and documentaries they have sought to ridicule it by portraying rituals, killings, wickedness, love for money and other social vices which were not originally inherent in our culture thereby cursing more harm than actually promoting their culture.

Igbos are the only people who without hesitation believe their history and description when it is told or written by an enemy or a foreigner. E.g. that you do not love yourselves or that you love money.

Igbos are the ONLY largest tribe on earth who fought for their independence and failed to achieve their freedom after 40 years.

Igbos are the only tribe who fails to honour their brave heroes and heroines especially the innocent children starved to death during the Biafran war.

Igbos are the only tribe who embraced their enemy after a bloody civil war and subsequently become slaves.

Igbos do not find it necessary to teach their own version of history to their children.

Igbos fight for marginalisation in Nigeria but has no collective strength or teeth to bite.

Igbos how long are you going to fight for your relevance in Nigeria?

How long are you going to fight for a functional airport, rail networks and other structural establishments that underpin sustainable development?

How long are you prepared to wait for your enemy to guide you to your destiny?

Oh Igbos!
Where are your leaders?

Unfortunately, none of them live and work in Igbo land. If you wish to save the future of your children, your identity, your generation and your race then you need freedom and that freedom is Biafra.

Ukpana Okpoko gburu bu nti chiri ya!

By Chime Eze
#COPIED

The Igbo: We die for causes, not for personalities

Written by Emeka Maduewesi

~on fb. 28th September, 2016.


The Igbo will never die for anyone. We will not even riot for anyone. But the Igbo will die for any cause they believe in because the Igbo have a true sense of justice and a determination to obtain it.


The Igbo will not riot because one of their own lost an election. Operation Wetie was the Western response to a massively rigged 1965 election. The Yoruba doused fellow Yorubas in petrol and burnt them alife. Properties were burnt with occupants. The Igbo will never do this.


In 1983, the Yoruba went on a rampage again over the massive rigging by NPN. Lifes were lost and properties destroyed. The riots were over personalities.


Contrast that with Anambra State where Chief Emeka Ojukwu was rigged out by his own NPN, who also rigged out Chief Jim Nwobodo. The Igbo did not protest because the goat's head is still in the goat's bag.


In the North, ba muso was the battle cry when Sultan Dasuki was imposed on the Sokoto Caliphate. The riot and protest lasted for days and crippled economic activities.


The Igbo will riot over issues and causes. The Aba Women Riot was over Tax. The Enugu coal mine riot was about conditions of service. The Ekumeku Uprising was over British colonialization.


Those of "Ekumeku" ancestry - Umu Eze Chima and Umu Nri - were at the forefront of the struggles for Nigerian independence, with people like Dr. A A Nwafor Orizu and Chief Osita Agwuna serving prison terms. Any struggles the parents could not conclude is continued by the children by other means.


The Biafran war was a response to the genocide. The war in fact was brought upon us. The battlefield was Eastern Region. The war ended in 1970 but the issues and causes were not resolved. That is where we are today.


The Igbo will also jointly rise to fight evil in their midst. They did it in Onitsha in the 1980's, Owerri in the 90's, and with Bakkassi in the 2000.


The Igbo will not die for any man. But the Igbo will stand by any man who symbolizes their cause and their pursuit of justice. Even if the man dies, the struggle continues, and like the Ekumeku warriors, the children will pick up the baton from their parents.


This is the Igbo I know, the Igbo I am, and the Igbo we are. This is my story. Feel free to tell yours.

RT. HON. DR. NNAMDI AZIKIWE TO DR. CHUBA OKADIGBO (1981)

"My boy, may you live to your full potential, ascend to a dizzy height as is possible for anyone of your political description in your era to rise. May you be acknowledged world-wide as you rise as an eagle atop trees, float among the clouds, preside over the affairs of fellow men.... as leaders of all countries pour into Nigeria to breathe into her ear.

But then, Chuba, if it is not the tradition of our people that elders are roundly insulted by young men of the world, as you have unjustly done to me, may your reign come to an abrupt and shattering close. As you look ahead, Chuba, as you see the horizon, dedicating a great marble palace that is the envy of the world, toasted by the most powerful men in the land, may the great big hand snatch it away from you. Just as you look forward to hosting the world’s most powerful leader and shaking his hands, as you begin to smell the recognition and leadership of the Igbo people, may the crown fall off your head and your political head fall off your shoulders.

None of my words will come to pass, Chuba, until you have risen to the very height of your power and glory and health, but then you will be hounded and humiliated and disgraced out of office, your credibility and your name in tatters forever...”
THE REST IS HISTORY AS EVERY WORD OF THE CURSE ON CHUBA CAME TO PASS.

LET'S BE AS PASSIONATE AS WE WANT TO AND BE MODERATE IN OUR CONTRIBUTIONS IN PUBLIC DISCUSSION TO ISSUES AS WORDS OF OUR ELDERS ARE WORDS OF WISDOM

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